As the highest-rated horse in the Summer Cup field, Huetor will be on a mission to put a frustrating campaign behind him and stamp his class on the Boxing Day feature at Randwick.
The winner of the Group 1 Doomben Cup in May, Huetor hasn’t raced since doing his best work late when seventh to Atishu in the Champions Stakes at Flemington (2000m) on November 11, an effort that followed an unlucky sixth in the Craven Plate at Randwick where he was badly strung up for a run.
A setback forced him to miss a scheduled start in the Zipping Classic but rather than tip him out, co-trainer Paul Snowden said they opted to push on and reload for Tuesday’s 2000-metre race.
“He has just been a run behind all the time, it is a bit of a flow-on effect from the prep before,” Paul Snowden said.
“That’s why we kept him ticking over. He’s a horse that loves the stable life, he doesn’t get sour.
“We saw him drop back in grade for the Craven Plate and he should have won, he got stood on his head.
“He’s got a good run in him fresh and on his work recently, it has been evident he’s going to run well.”
Tom Sherry has the Summer Cup ride on Huetor, who with a rating of 109 is four benchmark points clear of the second highest-rated runner in the Joe Pride-trained Stockman.
The Snowdens’ seven-year-old will have to shoulder topweight of 60kg, an impost no horse has carried to a Summer Cup victory in the modern day, although Linesman won with 59.5kg in 1997.
John O’Shea claimed the race last year with Diamil and he will have two runners, Lion’s Roar and former New Zealander Dark Destroyer, in his bid for back-to-back wins.
The $250,000 Summer Cup (2000m) is the feature event on the eight-race Boxing Day card.